


Million Reasons

by morningssofgold



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Drama, Friends to Lovers, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24391993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morningssofgold/pseuds/morningssofgold
Summary: Dani looked at him. She’d seen so many expressions filter through her partner’s face–a face that had become as familiar to her as her own. That mask he wore, pristine polish coupled with flamboyant overconfidence she saw through it. She always did and what she saw underneath always remained. Pain. It was there when he smiled and it was there when he laughed. Malcolm tried to hide it but he never could–not from her. He wasn’t hiding it now.Dani helps Malcolm work through the aftermath of the end of 1x20 "Like Father..."
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 6
Kudos: 66





	Million Reasons

Malcolm took a deep breath, trying not think of everything that transpired over the last 24 hours. He held the gun to Nicholas Endicott’s head, wanting to kill him. He’d taken too much from him and he wanted to take even more. His hand trembled.

 _My son. I will always love you because we’re the same_ , Malcolm heard the whisper of his father’s voice from the night of his arrest. We’re the same. How that haunted him every second of every day. 

Only hours prior had he stood in the conference room and and swore that he wasn’t like Martin–he wasn’t a killer. He’d been at the front of the room speaking to the team but his eyes were fixed on Dani. If he were being honest–more honest than he’d been allowing himself to be lately–the only thing that mattered to him was that she believed him– _in him_ –again.

Endicott deserved to die but then _Ainsley._

His hand was trembling uncontrollably now. He had the files from their latest case spread out in front of him but he couldn’t focus. Gil was still in the hospital, he’d made it through the night but he wasn’t out of the woods yet. His mother saw to it that the only real father he’d ever had received the best care possible but Malcolm was still incredibly worried and then _Ainsley_.

Malcolm looked up as a small hand covered his, slender gold ring adorned fingers squeezing his.

“You good?” Dani asked, clearly concerned as she slid into the seat next to him. Her pretty face was drawn and she looked rather pale and definitely exhausted. He knew why. Dani had been distraught at what happened to their boss–a man who was very much like a father to her too.

Malcolm saw the anguish on her face, his heart breaking with each passing second. Only because he couldn’t look away from her if he tried, did he notice that Dani’s hand trembled just as his did.

He knew that anxiety and that stress how all-consuming it had to be in order to react so viscerally. Malcolm knew it well and he’d never want that for Dani.

The gentle pressure of her fingers squeezing his, drew him away from his thoughts and back into the present. “Uh…yeah.” Malcolm sighed, completely unable to keep up appearances anymore. “Actually no.”

Dani tilted her head, her soft looking dark curls dusting her thin shoulders. “Hmm…which one is it?”

“No, I’m not good. I have family dinner tonight,” Malcolm admitted. He’d gotten the text from his mother saying that they should all have dinner and come up with a plan before she went back to the hospital to look after Gil.

After they’d called Jessica, she’d immediately sent him home. She said his father knew someone who could take care of it–it being the mangled corpse of the Big Pharma scion lying in a pool of blood in her living room.

Malcolm didn’t know what that meant and he didn’t know if his mother had just made everything better or worse. He’d gone back to his apartment where the caution tape still covered the door and he’d done nothing but pace.

 _Gil. Ainsley. Endicott._ Malcolm couldn’t close his eyes but he didn’t really want to know what horror his mind would conjure up to torture him with after all, there were so many to choose from.

Malcolm thought about calling Dani. He would’ve loved hearing her voice then. He would’ve loved to be soothed in that way but he couldn’t.

He knew she and JT had gone to serve Endicott warrants and he also knew they wouldn’t find him. If he’d called Dani or if he had been brave enough to ask her over just so he wouldn’t have to be alone last night, he wouldn’t have known what to say to her.

Malcolm had done so much to destroy and wear away Dani’s trust in him. He’d behaved childishly and hideously towards her but he’d finally done what he’d promised her–he’d done better because he had to. He’d held her hand, been strong for her when she couldn’t do it for herself.

It was different knowing that when _she_ couldn’t be strong, _he_ could. Malcolm had never been that for someone but it felt good being that for _Dani_.

As much as he’d tried to tell himself otherwise, he wasn’t alone. The gentle fingers stroking his knuckles told him that.

“And you don’t wanna go…” Dani ventured, wondering what could be so bad about dinner that made Malcolm react in the way he only did in times of intense distress.

“I have to go…it’s nonnegotiable,” Malcolm said quietly, his eyes cast down, studying their joined hands.

Dani hummed in understanding despite not actually doing so. So much about Malcolm she felt like she understood intrinsically–inherently–but there were also some things she _never_ would. The few times she’d been at the Manor reinforced that. His world and hers were entirely different–entirely separate.

Malcolm looked up slowly, his eyes searching her face. “Hey…um…would you come with me? I mean, if you don’t have any plans or anything…” he trailed off.

“You want me to have dinner with you at your mom’s house?” Malcolm didn’t ask her to spend time with him outside of work for reasons that had nothing to do with work. This was new. She saw the hesitation–the uneasiness on his too handsome face.

“Yeah…I do…” Malcolm said honestly.

“Okay…um…after I leave here, I’m gonna go check on Gil, head home, change and meet you there around seven…does that work?”

Dani wasn’t really sure what she was opening herself up for. She _always_ made time for Malcolm and she was _always_ left holding the bag– _almost_ always. She remembered how he comforted her last night, how he was there for her. Maybe she was wrong but somehow, this didn’t feel like all of those other times.

“It does. Thank you, Dani.” Malcolm felt himself smile and his muscles unclench for the first time in 24 hours.

–––––––––––––––––––

Malcolm got out of the town car just as Dani was pulling up to his mother’s house. Waiting for her to get out at the front steps of his family home, he couldn’t decide if he was calm or nervous at the idea of Dani being _here_ with him.

Dani’s presence had always made him calm. His mind was always so loud and it was getting louder. He needed to feel quiet again and that only happened around Dani but he couldn’t help the nerves beginning to overtake him.

Dani was going to be around his family, only they weren’t working a case and after tonight, she’d know a lot. She’d know everything. He’d asked her here but he wasn’t sure if he wanted her to know so much.

Many things had caused him to run from Dani once he started realizing that his beautiful coworker had turned into his best friend and then his partner and how he didn’t want it to stop there. Malcolm was used to wanting all of the things he couldn’t have. A normal life, a place to belong, someone who loved him.

Dani could give him all of those things at once but what could _he_ give beside darkness? His darkness didn’t begin nor did it end with him. It ran so much deeper and tonight Dani would know that.

Malcolm’s eyes widened as Dani came closer. His partner wore a long chocolate brown dress that looked amazing on her olive complexion and accentuated her statuesque height and highlighted the well-placed curves on her petite frame. The dark curls that were usually loose about her shoulders were pulled back in a bun at the base of her neck.

“You look really nice,” Malcolm murmured as Dani met him at the entrance to the Manor. For the second time in 24 hours, he was unable to look away from her.

He’d decided now that he was definitely nervous, his heart doing that _thing_ as Dani smiled demurely–that same little smile he’d seen from her coming out of the dressing room before they’d crashed the Taylor wedding. That same smile that had _destroyed_ him and caused him to question everything–something he hadn't stopped doing ever since.

“Thanks,” Dani looked up at him through her thick fringe of black lashes. “Are you good though, you look a little…tense.”

 _Tense would be about right_ , Malcolm thought as he took in the concern reflecting through Dani’s dark eyes made even more captivating by her soft smoky eye makeup. He was tense because his life was spiraling out of control and the gorgeous woman beside him–the one who always provided relief from all that ailed him–wasn’t his and after tonight, Malcolm wasn’t sure if she ever would be.

––––––––––––––––––––––

Opening the door for her, the two of them entered the foyer and Malcolm reflexively reached for Dani’s hand. Once again, the home he’d grown up in had turned into a literal house of horrors. He couldn’t walk back into that living room and not relive all he’d seen 24 hours prior.

Malcolm noticed Dani’s sideways glance at him but she elected not to say anything, only squeezing his hand reassuringly–something he appreciated more than she knew.

“Malcolm, glad you finally made it...and… _Detective Powell_ …” Jessica said as her bright red painted lips formed an “O’ of shock as she realized that her son had brought a guest to family dinner which tonight would be more of a family meeting and not just any guest but an _officer of the law_.

Jessica gave the young woman a careful once-over.

The few times Jessica had been around Dani, she wore utilitarian clothing befitting her profession but tonight, she wore a nearly floor length chocolate toned dress with two tasteful slits on each side and chunky heels that wrapped around her ankles. Her enviable dark curls were pulled back in a chignon low on her neck, drawing attention to her doe eyes and sharp bone structure.

Her son’s partner was really quite lovely Jessica realized after some time and she wondered if _her son_ had noticed. Her gaze drifted to their joined hands and she wondered if _this_ had anything to do with Ainsley’s situation at all.

“I asked Dani to join us, I hope you don’t mind.” Malcolm said smoothly though Jessica didn’t miss the shadow–the heaviness in his eyes.

“Of course not, dear. The more the merrier.” Jessica answered, still unsure of what Malcolm was planning. For her son, scheming was akin to breathing as just yesterday, her son disarmed an ankle monitor when he was supposed to be on house arrest, slipping in and out of the house with ease using the murderer tunnel underneath the house of all things. Malcolm’s brilliance knew no bounds–it was just a shame he couldn’t do something more constructive and less delinquent with it. “Dinner will be served shortly, why don’t you give…Dani…the full tour.”

–––––––––––––––

“So we meet again,” Dani said looking up at the portrait of his great uncle Douglas, a little smile curving her glossy nude pink lips as he’d done what his mother had suggested and given Dani a more complete tour than the last time she’d asked about it.

Malcolm smiled in return as they walked along the great hall side by side. Dani occasionally inquiring about the identity of some dour looking ancestor that lined the walls in ornate picture frames.

“Can you be honest with me, Bright?” Dani asked as she gazed up at a portrait of his grandmother Elizabeth. “What exactly am I doing here?”

“What do you mean?” Malcolm looked up to see Dani fixing him with that _look_. The one that made him feel seen, unmasked and uncovered. The one that told him she saw everything, even the things he didn’t want her to.

“Bright, you ask me to run plates, do background checks, trace calls. You don’t ask me to spend time with you.” Dani replied, one expertly groomed brow raised. He knew what she was telling him. He’d abused her kindness and he’d taken advantage of her friendship. It hadn’t been his intent and he knew he’d given her a million reasons to walk away from him, despite that being the very last thing he wanted. “What do you need?”

Malcolm sighed. He knew Dani was thinking that here he was using her once again, but that truly wasn’t it. He _needed_ her to know that but in order for him to get there, Malcolm would have to do the hardest thing–he’d have to do what she asked–what she’d _been_ asking of him. He’d have to be honest.

–––––––––––––––

Gently taking Dani by the arm and into the drawing room, out of earshot from anyone who might be rounding the corner. “I do need something but it’s not what you think.” Malcolm sat down on the antique gold and cream love seat.

“I don’t know what I think,” Dani admitted as she sat down next to him, crossing her legs at the ankles as she angled her body toward him.

“Last night, when you and JT went to serve Endicott, he wasn’t there was he?” The heaviness of these words were enough to choke on them but Malcolm forced them out anyway, despite how much the anxiety wanted to smother him. This was the right thing. Malcolm didn’t want to lie to Dani anymore. He didn’t want to hide from her. He didn’t want her distance. He couldn't stand it.

“No, like I tried to call you but you didn’t pick up. We went to his house, his office–all of them. He couldn’t have left the country this quickly because we called Interpol thinking he might try to run. His PR people are saying he’s missing…I don’t believe it though.”

As she spoke, Malcolm’s eyes studied Dani’s hands in her lap–the multitude of delicate gold rings on her slender fingers. He slowly looked up to meet her dark eyes. This was his chance do right by her. To be the person she thought he was. A person who didn’t look to deceive or keep things from her.

“He’s not missing,” Malcolm said quietly, his voice only slightly above a whisper. “He’s dead.”

Dani looked at him. She’d seen so many expressions filter through her partner’s face–a face that had become as familiar to her as her own. That mask he wore, pristine polish coupled with flamboyant overconfidence–she saw right through it. She always did and what she saw underneath always remained. _Pain_. It was there when he smiled and it was there when he laughed. Malcolm tried to hide it but he never could–not from her. He wasn’t hiding it now.

“What did you do, Bright?” Dani said slowly, forcing herself to keep her voice steady as the ice and dread sank down her spine. She didn’t know what he was telling her but she hoped he wasn’t telling her _that_. Please, anything but _that_.

Dani gently tipped his chin up towards her, forcing him to meet her gaze. The same thing she’d done on the very first night they’d met.

She remembered practically _begging_ Malcolm to tell her that he wasn’t going to kill himself right in front of her eyes. _Of course, not. That’d be crazy_. Another lie and another mask but she couldn’t take anymore lies, anymore masks–not now.

Malcolm didn’t pull away like he did then. Those ocean eyes burned through her–the intensity–the _weight_ of so many things untold and constrained. “At the hospital last night, after you left, Ainsley texted me to come home. She was there in the living room with Endicott. He’d called a ‘family meeting…’” Malcolm’s voice broke and Dani gently ran her blunt nails along his stubbled jaw, encouraging him to continue. “He wasn’t gonna stop. He was gonna keep terrorizing us.”

 _“What did you do, Bright?_ ” Dani exhaled. She’d stopped breathing and she was completely aware of it. Malcolm had been exonerated for murder 24 hours ago. She’d thought the worst was over but now, she didn’t know if the worst was yet to come.

“I…pulled a gun on him. I was going to…I wanted to…”

“But you didn’t,” Dani supplied, cupping his stubbled cheek. Suddenly, she felt transported back to the conference room. _I’m not my father._ Malcolm been at the front, talking to everyone but looking directly at _her_. His crystalline eyes sad, vulnerable but so very honest. She'd believed him and she told him that they knew that but she’d really meant that _she_ knew that. “You didn’t kill Endicott, did you?”

“No, I couldn’t. As much as Nicholas Endicott deserved to die. I couldn’t be the one to kill him.” Malcolm’s eyes locked on Dani’s as he leaned into her touch, appreciating her comfort. Grateful for _her_ –the one who always made the worst seem better. “Dani, I was going to do the right thing. I was looking _very_ forward to being the one to slap those cuffs on his wrists after all he’s done. I was going to let the law handle it– _him_.”

“Okay, so what happened?” Dani glanced down for a split second, noticing how Malcolm’s “bad habit” began to act up and as she wrapped her hand around his–not unlike the way he’d done for her. She realized that perhaps the worst wasn’t over at all.

“My sister…she did what I couldn’t.” Malcolm swallowed thickly, forcing the words out, getting lost in those memories of last night.

“Bright,” she breathed, fully absorbing everything he told her. The darkness–the despair–marring his handsome face. That pain she saw, the pain she _always_ saw sharpened enough for _her_ to feel it. A thousand little paper cuts hurting her over and over again. “I’m really sorry you had to go through that.”

Dani slowly brought Malcolm’s trembling hands to her lips, tenderly kissing his knuckles. She knew she was crossing a boundary they'd both pretended wasn’t there, but she had to let him know that she was here for him–that she was _always_ here for him.

Malcolm looked down. His lips twitched up in a smile despite himself at the sight of the brownish pink lipstick Dani had left behind, the kiss mark stark against his pale skin.

“You know what we have to do right?” Dani said softly as Malcolm’s crystalline eyes met hers once again. “You have to let me take her in.”

“ _Dani, no!_ ” Malcolm said quickly, his panic rising. Roughly pulling his hands from hers before standing up, beginning to pace. Dani watched him rake his hands through his thick chestnut hair, disturbing its usual neatness.

Dani stood up and gradually coming closer to him. She’d been here before. When Malcolm was in crisis, he grew volatile. She didn’t like that side of him. She didn’t like that reminder of who he’d been groomed to be because it wasn’t the person he was.

Her heels were so loud on the hardwood so he knew she was there. Dani reached out, placing her hand on his back. She could feel the tremors underneath her hand through his expensive, expertly tailored charcoal suit. His breathing was ragged as though he’d been running and to a certain extent, he had and it was time to stop.

“Bright, listen to me. You wanted to do the _right_ thing and you still can.” Dani said as he turned to face her. Malcolm shook his head, the fear in his eyes blocking the light she tried to shine his way.

“Dani, I can’t let you do that. I can’t send my sister to prison.”

“You don’t know that’s gonna happen. Your mom already said she had the best lawyers on retainer. Endicott was a murderer, your sister could claim self-defense.”

Malcolm smiled bitterly, no humor and all teeth. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see what I saw. She caught him from behind with a knife, nearly severing his head from his shoulders then...she stabbed him in the chest seven times.” Malcolm took a deep breath, trying unsuccessfully to block out his father’s impressed voice when _he’d_ learned this information.

 _My girl_. Malcolm was used to being his father’s “boy,” a moniker he despised, but he didn’t let it get to him because he did all he could to prove it wasn’t true. Seeing his sister lose control in that way, Malcolm didn’t know anything anymore but who was _he_ to pass judgement and he knew he had to protect her.

“My mother already had the body disposed of. Tonight, we were gonna come up with a plan, something that couldn’t be traced back–"

“Bright, are you listening to yourself right now?” As much as Dani wanted to help her partner– _this_ –she couldn’t abide. Malcolm slipping into old habits as easily as he slipped into his Thom Browne suits. Only this time, he was slipping into a potential accomplice to murder charge–something he might not be able to slip out of, the way he did that ankle monitor. “Don’t you ever get tired? Tired of the lies, the deception?”

“You think I wanna be like this?” Malcolm hissed, his vexation and futility erupting as he raked his hands through his hair once again.

“I don’t but you’re copping out _again_.” Dani stood her ground, needing him to understand her. He trusted her enough to tell her all of this and he had to trust her enough to know that she’d never lead him astray, whether he wanted to hear it or not. She cared _too much_ to sit back and watch all of this happen to him again. “Don’t you realize you deserve _more_ than this?”

The tempest raging inside of him calmed almost instantly as he took in his partner’s pretty face. Yes, she was plainly irritated–angry with him but she was worried _for_ him.

This wasn’t the judgement, the condemnation, the _rejection_ Malcolm always imagined coming from Dani when she learned the truth about him and everything he came with. It wasn't that _thing_ he always imagined that always made him feel something akin to a cornered animal with a desperate need to lash out–to hurt before _he_ was hurt. This was care and _something else_ he was afraid to believe was for him.

“Do I…?” Malcolm ventured hesitantly, knowing that the conversation had changed and they weren’t talking about Ainsley anymore.

Dani softened, “You do but _you_ have to believe it.”

He didn’t–not really. He didn’t believe he deserved more than the mere imitation of love he’d sought from someone who wasn’t Dani and never would’ve been. Doing better for his partner, also meant doing better for himself and he didn’t know if he could do that. He didn’t only traffic in dysfunction, he lived it and it lived in him. Dani expected more and Malcolm didn’t think he could deliver.

Now, he was starting to think differently. _Dani_ was making him think differently. “I want to…I’d do _anything_ to be the person you trust again.” She'd wanted his honesty and here it was. Malcolm had so much more to say to her, things he couldn’t say with his sister’s impending murder charge as a backdrop for all of the feelings he'd been trying to suppress and wish away but he had to say _this_.

Every heartbreak made it harder to keep the faith that each time wouldn’t be like the last, but Dani was the _good_ one–the one who shouldn’t stay but always did. Malcolm hesitantly reached for her, his hand gliding along her waist and lightly resting on the small of her back as Dani looked at him in a way he hadn’t seen since he’d first brought her tea so many months ago.

In the endless night that was his life, Malcolm wondered just how he could see so many stars in her dark eyes. Dani opened her mouth to respond as she absently fingered the lapel of his suit coat.

“Dinner is served!” his mother called before she could, Jessica coming to an abrupt stop as she took in her son and his partner.

Their heads bent together talking as if no one in the world existed beyond the two of them, Malcolm’s hand quite a bit lower on the young woman’s body than what would be considered appropriate for best friends. Jessica wasn’t sure what to make of this and she wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that they didn’t spring apart when she’d entered the room.

Detective Powell–Dani–was beautiful certainly but _definitely not_ the type of girl _she_ would have chosen for _her son_. Though the girl Jessica did choose had turned out to be far less than ideal, she wondered if the situation she’d orchestrated had only delayed the inevitable as she remembered how close Malcolm and his partner looked at the Taylor wedding.

Jessica hadn’t thought much of it then but perhaps she should have as she'd never seen Malcolm look at _anyone_ the way he looked at the willowy brunette.

––––––––––––––––––––

“My, isn’t it rather warm for May. The weather has been so lovely lately.” his mother trilled, her voice far too high to be genuinely pleasant.

“Mother, let’s just cut to the chase–the reason we’re all here.” Malcolm was in no mood for charades. He was tired–exhausted. Exhausted carrying the weight of stockpiled secrets.

“Whatever do you mean, dear?” Jessica said, taking a rather lengthy sip of scotch. Her eyes fleetingly shifting to Dani sitting to his right.

“Mother, Dani knows everything.” Malcolm sighed.

“ _Malcolm Douglas Whitly!_ ” his mother using his full name only when she was truly exasperated, her head in her hands.

“ _What?_ ” His sister throwing her napkin onto her plate, her cheeks reddening in outrage. “So you getting a date means me going to prison? I saw that little exchange in the living room yesterday–we all did.”

“No, it means me telling _the truth_. Or does that not matter anymore?” Malcolm leaned forward, unwilling to be put in check by _Ainsley_ of all people.

“I did what I had to!” Ainsley shouted, her dark eyes blazing.

“ _Great!_ Tell it to your defense attorney.” Malcolm spat back.

“Bright…don’t.” Dani said as she cut in gently, only loud enough for Malcolm to hear, her hand covering his. Malcolm wasn’t cruel but he could be under enough stress and she didn’t like that side of him either. She smiled a bit as her partner exhaled, leaning back in his chair.

Jessica watched the exchange between Malcolm and Dani. Her eyes narrowing in suspicion as _no one_ got her son to back down when he got like this. What type of magic did this girl have? “Are you two sleeping together?”

“If we were, I’d be smiling right now and so would she.” Malcolm snarked, his mother gasping indignantly as that wasn’t the response she was expecting.

Dani didn’t want to laugh as it would be completely inappropriate considering the situation but she honestly wondered how _anyone_ could do this every week. As much as she cared about Malcolm, she didn’t think she wanted to do this ever again.

“Bright, that’s enough,” Dani scolded lightly though her brain had unhelpfully supplied images of that night in his apartment when Malcolm had been high off his ass, badly flirting with her about his “good business,” something that was also inappropriate considering the situation.

“If I may, I think it’s best to get out in front of this because if something goes wrong and Endicott’s body is found this could go from bad to worse. I can come here first thing in the morning and obviously Bright will be here and we can take her in together. It won’t attract much notice as we’re pretty much always together–"

“You are, aren’t you?” Jessica’s attention fully fixed on Dani, her tone clipped.

“ _Mother…_ ” Malcolm warned lowly, Dani was here because _he’d_ asked her to be. He refused to allow his mother to even _think_ about casting aspersions on her.

“Tomorrow, you can tell me everything as it happened.” Dani turned her attention to Ainsley who’d been staring at her the entire time with a mix of fear and distrust. What Malcolm told her his sister had done sounded horrifying but _Endicott_ was horrifying and it wasn’t her job to judge. “Since Gil’s recovering, I’d probably be given your case anyway so we can talk just the two of us or you can have your lawyer present.”

“She most certainly will!” Jessica interrupted, ignoring the irritated glare Malcolm sent her way across the table.

“Mom, let her finish.” Ainsley replied, annoyance passing over her face as she turned back to her brother’s partner.

“That’s within your right but I promise you won’t get railroaded–not by me.” Something about the brunette’s calm, unflappable demeanor put Ainsley at ease and the fact that Malcolm trusted Dani enough to ask her here, meant that Ainsley could trust her too.

–––––––––––––––––

As Ainsley was ushered out of the interrogation room by uniformed officers, surrounded by her team of lawyers and her mother before being escorted to Central Booking, Dani stepped out the room, coming face to face with her partner.

Malcolm had spent the entire duration of the interview pacing outside of the door as he wasn’t allowed to sit in as a consultant due to the blatant conflict of interest and depending upon how forthcoming his sister had been with his partner, he was likely now a witness.

He knew he’d done the right thing. He knew trying to cover up Endicott’s murder would only come back to haunt them just as everything they tried to bury did. That said, he was terrified for his sister and profoundly angry that once again, the two of them hadn’t been protected when they should’ve been.

“So what do you think her chances are? Of acquittal, I mean.” Malcolm asked looking up at Dani. Unlike their other cases, he knew there was only so much she could tell him.

“Well, assuming her case even goes to trial…she’s young, blonde and rich. I’d say her chances are better than most.” Dani answered honestly, rocking a bit on her heels as she put her hands in the back pockets of her dark high waisted jeans.

Malcolm nodded but the storm raging inside of him didn’t subside for a moment. Dani noticing as she always did, took a step closer. Close enough for him to smell the barest hint of the Dove soap she used. “If this does go to trial, you know I’ll be right there. I’m not gonna leave you alone.”

“I know and I don’t think I _can_ be alone anymore,” Malcolm whispered, placing his hands on Dani’s thin shoulders, feeling the warmth of her skin through the thin blush toned blouse she wore. Before he could talk himself out of it, his hands slowly slid up the elegant column of her neck and underneath her curls. He tipped her chin towards him, gently pulling her flush against him.

Malcolm did what he’d only allowed himself to think about but never for too long, not caring for a moment who in the busy precinct was watching. He _kissed_ her, softly–sweetly before pulling back and quickly stealing another, trapping her soft bottom lip in between his, drawing Dani’s laughter as she looked at him through her lashes, those stars ever present even in the daytime.

“What was that for?” she asked rather breathlessly, her hands pressed against his chest, her slender fingers curled around the lapels of his navy suit coat.

“It was for lost time…I think.” Malcolm smiled, cradling her face, his thumbs running along her jawline. He’d once heard that if you don’t fight for what you love, you cry for what you lose. He’d cried enough–he’d hurt enough and the only person he’d ever been fighting was himself. “All I know is that whatever comes next, I need you by my side.”

“I guess it’s good there’s no place I’d rather be.”

**Author's Note:**

> Here I "attempted" to write what I'd like to see eventually follow up that very intense scene and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks to @2amEurphoria for helping me get some of these ideas out. The title is a reference to the Dan + Shay cover of "Million Reasons" One of the lines used comes from @wordsnstuff on Tumblr's Dark Quotes & Prompts - "if you don't fight for what you love, you cry for what you lose."


End file.
